Traditionally, vendors of services and product utilize mass media to advertise their products. Thus, a vendor will publish an ad describing service or products in magazines, catalogs, billboards, newspapers, radio or television broadcast publications. The advertisement is aimed at attracting the interest of a potential consumer. However, in order to move beyond the stage of advertising, much effort is required by the consumer.
The consumer typically has to either remember advertised information if any interest in an advertised product or service will be pursued by the consumer. In the situation where an advertisement includes contact information such as a telephone number, a consumer can dial the phone number to contact a vendor from information in the advertisement using a telephone, wireless or cellular phone. But the amount of effort that is required by the consumer from the point of advertisement to consummation of an actual purchase from the vendor can work against the vendor. Consumers can easily forget telephone numbers, URLs or other calls to action or simply lose interest in an advertised product or service as time goes by after the consumer recognizes the advertisements.